Morganville Vampires  Mind Games
by Esha Dickson
Summary: This is what happens when Jason can get into people's minds. He would try to take over Morganville
1. Chapter 1

As Claire left the University, a movement in the edge of her vision caught her attention. Before she could react, a heavy arm was resting on her shoulders. "Hey, Claire," the person whispered in her ear and her heart skipped beat.

Claire turned her head and came face to face with Eve's evil brother, Jason. He was wearing the same clothes he was always wearing, and smelled like him and the clothes could use a good wash. The grin planted on his face was wider than it should have been.

"What do you want, Jason?" she asked, and hoped her voiced sounded calmer than she felt. She added an over-the-top eye-roll for good measure. "Is that a polite way to greet a person, Claire? I thought your manners were much better!" "Yeah, well blame Morganville for that. Oh, and all the freak'n vampires, too." Jason shook his head slowly. "You'll get used to it. I've been living here for a long time now, and look how well I turned out!" Claire looked him up and down, and the eye-roll was not forced this time.

"Can I help you, Jason? 'Cause I have lots of homework to do." It was a lie, Claire was ahead in all her subject's, and in Morganville homework was the least of her worries. But homework was better than standing here making pointless conversation with an idiot.

"Well," Jason began, "I think homework can take a backseat, for now. Especially considering that we have our first date planned for tonight." Claire had started walking again, but came to a sudden stop when the word 'date' escaped his lips. "Excuse me?" she asked.

"You heard me, Claire. Don't play dumb." He smiled. "And where would we be going on this date?" she asked. "The one and only, Common Grounds!" "Hell, no." His smile only got bigger. "I knew it would take more convincing than that. So here's the deal," she felt the cold metal of a knife being pushed against her arm. "You come to Common Grounds with me tonight and I'll ditch all my plans to hurt Eve." Claire knew that going out with him would not make him ditch his plans, but could she really afford to take that risk? Eve was already so fragile; she didn't need her brother making things a whole lot worse.

Claire nodded. "Fine, Jason, one date and that's all." The pressure of the knife-point against her arm slowly decreased, but she was smart enough to know not to run. "I'll meet you outside the Common Grounds in an hour. If you're not there, or don't come alone…" The threat didn't need to be finished. _…I'll hurt Eve, and it will be because of you. _And just as quick as he had come, Jason was gone, melting into the shadows of the slowly setting sun.

Claire ran the rest of the way home.

An hour later, Claire had showered, changed, had a chilli dog for tea and was driving in the direction of Common Grounds. She had pulled on a pair of dark jeans and a dark blue tee-shirt. She finished it off with a black cardigan and some canvas shoes which were excellent for running.

Getting out of the house had been easier than she had expected. Eve was up in her room listening to music on her iPod; Michael was deep in concentration, writing another song on the guitar and Shane, well, Claire didn't know where the hell he was. It didn't bother her, though. Shane always went off randomly but ended up home unhurt. That was all that mattered.

The car was borrowed off Eve. In other words; Claire had snagged the keys and hoped that no-one would notice. Now all that was left was to turn up to Common Grounds, have this stupid date and go home to bed, where she could curl up with the biggest, fluffiest teddy she could find and sleep forever.

As she pulled up to Common Grounds, Claire noticed a lot of cars. _Bonus, _she thought, _Jason wouldn't dare try something in front of all these people. Would he? _She certainly hoped not. Claire grabbed her handbag from the passenger seat, opened the car-door and walked in the direction of Common Grounds. As promised, Jason was waiting outside the door, and smiled when he saw her. "Why, Claire, I never said you had to dress up for me!" Jason taunted. "Come on, Jason. Let's get this over with." He pouted. "Someone's in a bad mood." Claire rolled her eyes and walked through the door, Jason close behind her.

Inside, she marched up to the bar and ordered a mocha she didn't really want, without looking at who was serving her. "Claire," his voice pretty much dripped with sarcasm, "how lovely to see you here." The second badass vampire in town, Oliver, pushed the money she had placed on the counter back towards her and smiled. "This one's on the house, as a welcome back present. I'll even throw in a chocolate shot, to make it worth your while."

Claire nodded her thanks and moved along the bench to wait for her drink. "Sweet," Jason smiled. "In that case I'll have a spiced chai latte with Chocolate Flakes and those little marshmallow things." Oliver frowned at him. "You," he said, "have to pay." Jason's smile faded. Claire couldn't help but laugh. Oliver winked at her. "This is so not cool," he muttered, and chucked the five dollars owed onto the counter. Even those Oliver was a vampire, there was times when he was hilarious!

When the drinks were ready, Claire and Jason took them to a table in the corner close to the bar. She knew Oliver was obliged to help her if Jason tried anything. Slowly she sipped her mocha, and the warmth of it filled her. Jason was sipping his chai latte, and noticed her eyes darting towards the bar, back at him, then towards the bar again.

That's when Claire felt the cold, sharp edge of a knife press up against her leg. All warmth drained out of her and she nearly dropped her cup. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Oliver spare them a quick glance, then turn back to his next customer. "Stop looking around so often," Jason hissed, "people might think you weren't having a good time." "Well, then they would be thinking right, wouldn't they," she returned, quick as fire. He glared at her but said nothing. The knife point stayed where it was. She had to choose her next words carefully. "Why am I here, Jason? I know you didn't bring me down here to have a coffee and a nice little chat." He shrugged. "I like people to remember I am the one in charge around here. What I say goes, and if I say you come to Common Grounds or I'll hurt Eve, then that's what you do. Any other questions?" Claire nodded. "Can I go home now?" He glared at her but didn't reply. _I'll take that as a no, _Claire thought, and continued to sip her mocha.

Twenty minutes later, Claire had finished her mocha, Jason had finished his chai latte, and they were both sitting there in silence. Before she had gotten into the car, she had made sure her phone was in her pocket, so she'd know if it vibrated. But not once had it gone off. _They must know I'm gone by now. _"Ok, Claire," Jason finally said, "you can go now." Claire didn't hesitate to grab her handbag, push her chair back and stand. As she walked past the bar, a cold hand wrapped around her wrist. Oliver pulled her close and when Jason paused, he signalled him on. Jason frowned but didn't argue. "See you outside, Claire," he said and walked towards the door.

When he was out of ear-shot, Oliver whispered into her ear. "Be careful, Claire, if he looks like he's about to make a move, don't hesitate to run. I don't care what threat he fed you, I'll personally make sure he doesn't go through with it. Understand?" Claire nodded and he released his grip on her wrist. "Good," he said, and turned to his next customer. When Claire stepped out into the cool night, she was immediately being questioned by Jason. "What did he want, Claire?" There was no way she was going to repeat what Oliver had just told her. "That next time, I pay for my drink." He looked doubtful but didn't question her further.

"So I can go now," she asked. He slowly nodded and Claire made her way towards Eve's car. She opened the door, but before she could get in, a strong arm wrapped around her waist and spun her round. _Shane, _she thought, _he came to get me. _But when she looked around, she came face to face, again, with Jason. Before she could so much as ask was he was doing, he pulled her to him and crushed his lips to hers.

She expected it to be wet and disgusting, but, surprisingly, it wasn't. It was sweet and perfect, hot and sexy, and oh, so full of love. She felt her eyes slowly close and she folded herself into his arms, wrapping hers around his neck. Her hate for him slowly grew to love, then lust. She had never felt this way about anyone before, not even Shane. Claire felt safe and secure in Jason's arms, and she wanted to stay like this forever.

Suddenly in-human strength was ripping them apart, sending Jason hurtling towards the ground and Claire against the side of the car. When Jason tried to get up the strength pushed him back down and punched him, hard. And then Oliver was there, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. "Claire? Claire, are you ok?" He yelled at her. She shook her head. Behind him, she could see Jason looking at her intently. "You're hurting him," she whispered. "You're hurting him!" This time she screamed it. Claire tried to push past Oliver. She struggled and kicked but she was not strong enough. Oliver was a vampire, and he was much, much stronger. He slammed her back against the car and her vision blurred for a second, and then came back into focus. She was looking straight into Oliver's cold eyes. He was shaking his head. "Claire, you don't feel this way about Jason, he's making you feel it." "No!" she screamed, "No! I love him! And he loves me!"

Oliver continued to shake his head. "Think, Claire! He's in your head! Get him out! You hate him, Claire. He threatened to kill Eve more than once, and he has killed innocent lives in the past. Get him out of your head!" Slowly, Claire came to understand what Oliver was saying. She could feel Jason in her head and see him frowning behind Oliver. "He can't," she stammered, "he's not… vampire." She suddenly felt sick. "Is he?" Oliver shook his head again. "No, Claire. He's not. But it's taken him years to learn how to get inside people's heads like that. You need to fight it Claire." And so she fought. She brought to the front of her mind all the hate and loathsome feelings she felt towards Jason. She brought to mind all the innocent lives he had taken, and all the times he had threatened Eve, Michael and Shane. And slowly he was pushed out of her head, and her mind was Jason-free.

Oliver nodded and gave a small smile. "Well done," he said, "Now go home, get some rest, skip classes tomorrow and don't go out again at night. I'll take care of Jason." He pushed her into the car, shut the door, and turned on Jason. He tried to escape but was Oliver was faster. The last thing Claire saw in the rear-view mirror as she drove away was Oliver dragging Jason towards Common Grounds. She hoped he got what was coming to him.

As Claire got into bed, she felt all her muscles start to relax. She sunk down into the pillows and pulled the blanket up to her chin. When Claire had gotten home, no-one had noticed she had been missing. Eve was still listening to her iPod; Michael was still writing the song. The only thing that had changed was the Shane was now in the kitchen, cooking the only thing he knew how to cook; Chilli. He offered her some but she politely refused and made an excuse to go to bed.

Claire's eye's slowly closed. She was defiantly going to follow Oliver's advice. Go home, rest and don't go out again at night. _But, _she thought as she slowly dozed off, _there is no way in hell I'm skipping classes tomorrow… _

When Claire woke up the next morning, the first thing she noticed was the headache, right between her eyes. The second was the bruising she had received from being pushed against the car by a vampire and the third was the fact that Jason had kissed her! And she had liked it! He was making me think I liked it, she reasoned with herself. Even so, the thought of kissing him still grossed her out.

Claire groaned and rolled over, trying to make sense of the numbers on the alarm clock, which were swimming in and out of focus. 10:45. Despite all the pain it caused her, Claire sat straight up. She was late for school by 2 hours! Claire threw off the blankets and jumped out of bed, pulling on a pair of jeans under her long tee-shirt which served as pyjamas, flung open her bedroom door and clattered down the stairs. "Eve!" she yelled. "Michael! Shane!" No-one replied.

Claire forced herself to pause and think clearly, even though it made the headache worse. Eve, she thought, Eve would be… at work! One down, two to go. Shane. Next, Michael. She deliberately didn't think were Shane would be. It was daylight, so she knew he wouldn't be having his blood sucked out of him. That was good enough for her. Michael would be… come on, think! Playing his guitar! At Common Grounds, most likely. So that solved the problem of her missing friends. Claire suddenly realised how hungry she was, and she stumbled into the kitchen to make some toast and coffee. Grabbing the bread out of the cupboard, she put two bits into the toaster, and then turned to make the coffee. There was already a cup of hot coffee ready, and a note attached to it.

Don't leave the house today, whatever you do. Oliver told me about what happened last night and also that Jason got away. We have all underestimated him. I've gone with Oliver and some other vampires to help find him. Shane and Eve are at the university. It's you he's after Claire, and he can't get to you if you stay inside the house. We'll be back around sun-down.

Michael

Claire grabbed the cup of coffee and took the longest sip known to man. She looked back at the note, hoping that the words were different, and she had imagined it all. No such luck. Jason had gotten away and he was after her. The still hot coffee stated that they had left not five minutes ago. After running to the garage, Claire only confirmed what she knew was true. Michael's car was gone and so was Eve's. She was alone.

If Claire knew one thing, it was this. There was no way in hell that she was staying home all day. She had to be doing something to keep her mind off Jason. She would visit Myrnin. Claire drank the last of her coffee and ate her cold toast, then went upstairs to have a shower. The hot water ran over her body, and she imagined it was washing away all her problems and worries, washing them down the plughole and out into Morganville, where they would attach themselves to another unlucky soul. Maybe Monica Morrell.

Claire got dressed, grabbed her schoolbag and emptied it of all her textbooks. She put in some old books including Treasure Island and Dracula. She knew Myrnin would want to read them, especially Dracula, considering he was a vampire too. She also threw in some red liquid, which gave Myrnin 5 hours of being sane. Facing the blank wall downstairs, Claire concentrated on the images of his lab, the stacks of books lying around and the many old, wooden bookcases and drawers. When she opened her eyes, Claire could see Myrnin's lab on the other side of the portal and she stepped through, leaving behind the glass house and as she left, she felt the pull of the house telling her to stay.

A few minutes later, Claire found herself facing the blank wall in Myrnin's lab. On her back was her backpack and in her right hand was the dart gun, and each dart was filled with the red liquid. There was no way she would get close enough to the insane Myrnin to give him a proper injection, so this would have to do. Conjuring up the images of the cell, Claire saw the portal open and stepped through. On the other side she was greeted by the moans of other crazed vampires. And she may her way over to the fridge, were all the blood packets were kept. She grabbed some and, as she was walking towards Myrnin's cell, threw one to each vampire in turn. When she reached his cell, Myrnin was reading a book, upside down. Claire rolled her eyes and dragged the chair in the corner over, so she could sit down and face him.

"Hello, Claire," he said without looking up. "I find that my intelligence is increasing ever since I started taking the liquid form of the drug." "Myrnin," she struggled to find the right words, "without a very recent dose you aren't any more intelligent than you were before we started with the liquid form. You just think you are." This time Myrnin did look up, and he didn't look happy. A crimson haze began forming from his pupils out, until it filled his entire eye. "What do you mean Claire? I am reading this book and understanding it well and I haven't had a recent dose! Is that not proof enough that I'm being cured?"

She looked at Myrnin. "Well, no," she looked him straight in the eye. She knew breaking eye contact was a sure sign of weakness to him, and she wasn't about to appear weak. "It's not proof enough. For one, you have read that book many times before and for two, well, you're reading it upside down." And with that, she aimed the dart gun and fired. It hit him in the stomach and he fingered the red feathers, before collapsing backward onto the ground.

It only took a moment and then Myrnin's eyes snapped open. He sat up and pulled out the dart. It took him a moment to recognise Claire, but when he did, his eyes grew wide. "What's wrong?" she asked, suddenly afraid she had over or under-dosed him on the liquid. "Claire," he whispered, "Claire!" this time he yelled and Claire nearly fell off her chair. "You shouldn't be here! He's after you." Claire was puzzled, then realisation hit. "Oh, you mean Jason! Yeah, well I figured that I was safe here." She now realised how stupid that sounded. "You need to leave! He's… here." Claire felt her stomach twist. "Please. Go," Myrnin whispered. Too late. Claire felt a cold hand wrap around her waist and pull her backward off the chair. She landed of the cold, hard floor and cried out in pain, before being yanked up against the wall. "Hello again. Miss me?" Jason whispered into her ear. The last thing Claire felt was the sharp point of a needle poke through her skin and a liquid being injected into her veins. The edges of her vision began to blur, until she blacked out altogether.

When Claire woke up she tried to open her eyes, but the sudden bright light changed her mind. "Good Evening, Claire," Jason asked, his voice dripped with sarcasm. "Sleep well, did you?" As Claire's eyes slowly adjusted to the light, she managed to open them and take in her surroundings. She was in a windowless room, with one door on the wall opposite her. She was lying on what she could only assume was a couch and sitting in chairs across from her was Jason and… Myrnin.

Myrnin's eyes were dark red and he looked like the crazed vampire everyone knew him as. He was looking at her and a huge grin was making its way across his face. "Where am I?" she asked, trying to make her voice sound braver than she felt. "That, I'm afraid, that is classified," Jason said and they both continued looking at her. Claire tried again. "Why am I here?" Jason smiled. "You're here because you can't exactly go missing when people might know where you are." "What do you want with me?" she asked. Jason threw back his head and laughed. When he looked at her again he had tears running down his cheeks. "My God, girl, you haven't figured that out yet?" To Myrnin he said, "I thought you said this girl is smart." Myrnin just ignored him.

"You are Amelie's pet. If I have you spot, then she'll do anything to get you back. Even…" the rest of it was unsaid, but Claire knew exactly what he meant. Jason knew that she knew. Even give me complete control over Morganville. "Why would you want something like that?" she asked. "Why not ask for money?" Jason just shrugged. "Because, what can you buy in Morganville? Nothing. And like hell they'd let me leave. Anyway, controlling a town has a much better ring to it, don't you think?" Claire just glared at him. "Why is he in this? What's in it for him?" She nodded at Myrnin. "Claire, he's sick. The dosage wore off 2 hours ago. He doesn't know what the hell he's doing. Preferably, I'd like to keep it that way. In his state of mind he'll do anything I say." Myrnin just continued looking at her.

After another 10 minutes of silence, Jason looked at his watch and said "time to go. The sun should be well and truly down, by now." Myrnin stood up and started advancing towards her. She tried to run but then, logically, where would she run to? Jason wasn't totally stupid, he would lock the door. Myrnin grabbed her round her waist and hauled her to her feet. Jason pulled a strip of material out from his pocket and put it over her eyes and tied a knot at the back. "Sorry about this," he said, "You just can't know where my hideout is."

Claire felt herself being dragged across the floor, and then heard keys being shoved into a lock. The lock clicked and she heard the creak of the door being opened. Again she felt herself being dragged and, when she apparently wasn't going fast enough, felt her feet leave the ground and then she was being carried by who she assumed was Myrnin. Next thing she knew she heard a car being turned on and she was being thrown into the backseat. She knew it was the backseat because her head hit the door on the other side. And then the car pulled into motion and she was thrown back against the seat. She would have tried to take her blindfold off but she was too preoccupied with trying not to get a concussion.

A couple of minutes later they came to a sudden stop and Claire was thrown into the seat in front of her. Before she had time to react strong arms were pulling her out of the car and carrying her. Once again, they obviously didn't think she would go fast enough to match their pace. In a matter of seconds Myrnin (an assumption of who was carrying her) stopped and dropped her onto her feet. "Where are we?" she asked. "You'll find out soon enough," Jason's harsh voice said and she heard him walking away. Soon, the sound of knocking against wood sounded. We are at a house, she realised. Her blindfold was ripped off and Myrnin placed his hand over her mouth. We're at the Glass House. Claire was standing in such a way that she couldn't see who answered the door, and assumed they couldn't see her either.

"We don't have time for you Jason," Shane said. "Why ever not? What could be more important than me?" Jason laughed. "Leave," Michael said, "Before we call the cops." "I'd much rather you called Amelie. I have something important to tell her," was Jason's reply. "I'm here." Claire heard the shuffle of footsteps. "What is it?"

Jason smiled. "I would like full control of Morganville and all the residents in it." Amelie laughed. "And what would make you think I would give you that?" Claire could practically hear Jason smile. "You'll regret it if you don't." Claire felt Myrnin tilt her head to the side with her other hand. Oh God! "Last chance, Amelie." "Never." Jason nodded and stepped aside. She heard Eve scream and Michael and Shane advanced towards her. Before they could reach her, she felt sharp points pierce her throat and sink in. Agonising pain filled her body and she let out a scream, along with Eve. "No!" Shane and Michael yelled in unison. But it was too late.

Claire felt her body fall to the ground and Myrnin crouched over her. She wasn't aware of anything but the pain and when that got too much, Claire felt herself slipping away, and she gladly let the darkness swallow her up.


	2. Chapter 2

Claire could feel soft grass under her body and the sun was warm on her face. Wherever this place was, it was peaceful. There was no pain and she just wanted to stay here forever. But someone was calling her name. She tried to ignore it but the voice was making itself heard. "Claire," it whispered, "Claire," the more she tried to ignore it, the louder it got. "Claire!" Her eyes snapped open. Shane. That was Shane's voice. It didn't matter how much she wanted to just lie here, she had to make an effort for Shane. Claire sat up and saw two doorways. Shane's voice was coming from the one closest to her. Standing up, Claire walked towards the door and put her hand on the doorknob. She turned it and was greeted by a bright light. Claire stepped through, towards Shane's voice.

When Claire opened her eyes, the first face she saw was Myrnin's. She screamed and sat up. Then Shane was there, holding her. "It's ok," he whispered. "Everything is going to be ok." Michael grabbed her arm with his cold hands and felt for her pulse first on her wrist then on her neck. He let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God, you're ok, Claire," he said. Much to Shane's disgust, Claire pulled away from him. She was in the lounge of the Glass House on the couch. Eve, Shane, Michael and Myrnin were all crowded round her. "Where's Jason? And Amelie?" "Amelie is fine and Jason… we let him go." Claire couldn't believe it. "You what?" She stood up. "Why the hell would you do that?" Michael pushed down on her shoulders and she was forced to sit down on the couch. "Claire, Amelie took away the power to get inside people's heads from him. He's just as useless as he was before he could do that." Eve hit his arm. "This is my brother we're talking about." Michael's eyebrows rose and he stared at Eve. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she sighed.

"What about Myrnin?" she asked. He looked at her. "After you passed out, Jason told me to carry you to the car. Of course, being the gentleman I am, I refused. So he got into my head and was… controlling me, I guess is the right terminology. But I have had my medication and I am once again fine." He smiled at her. "Now I see you're awake and well, I shall be off to my cell. And I'm terribly sorry for biting you." Claire nodded and before anyone could stop him he was off, running down the hall and into the world. "Should we go after him?" Shane asked. Michael shook his head, no.

"Where's Amelie now?" Claire asked. "She's gone back to wherever she comes from." Shane replied. Claire stood up. "I think I might go upstairs and rest for a while." They all nodded and she walked towards the stairs. On the bottom step she felt Shane take her waist and spin her around. He kissed her, and it was filled with passion and sweet, sweet love. Her arms went around his neck and his wrapped around her waist. This kiss was real. She wasn't being forced to feel anything. She wasn't being controlled. She was being kissed and loved by Shane, and her free-willed kissed and loved him back. Too soon it was over. "Get some rest," he said, then left and walked into the lounge. "I love you," Claire whispered to the air where Shane had been standing. Once again, he hadn't manned up enough to say three little words.

Claire stood in the shower, fingering the water-proof Band-Aid which covered the two pinpricks in her neck. They didn't hurt, more like, tingled. It was hard to explain. Once she was dry and in her pyjamas, she walked into her room. On her bed was a cream coloured envelope. Her name was written in graceful, curled handwriting. Amelie's handwriting. She opened the back and unfolded the letter inside.

_Claire,_

_I am ever so sorry for what you have been through these last two days. Please understand that, just because Jason can no longer get into people's heads, doesn't mean he isn't dangerous. We haven't seen the end of him, only the beginning. As for your bite, Myrnin did not drink enough blood that it became a concern and threatened your life. I would like you to continue seeing him to learn, no exceptions. Meanwhile, get some rest._

_Amelie_

Claire tossed the letter onto her desk and climbed into bed, pulling the covers up and over her head. She closed her eyes and waited for sleep to come and wash over her. Sure enough, it did and she spent the rest of the night in a peaceful, dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, the bite marks on Claire's neck had disappeared completely. There was no scar, no bruise, nothing. This was a good thing; it meant that Claire didn't have to worry about wearing scarves or turtlenecks, and it put her in a good mood. She showered, got changed and went downstairs. It was the weekend, which meant no school. _I'll study, _she thought. _At least that way I'm not wasting my time. _As she walked downstairs, she heard quiet, hushed voices. Feeling like a spy, Claire tip-toed down the stairs and leant against the wall. The voices were coming from the lounge, and from this spot she could hear snippets of what they were saying.

"Jason… missing… no one knows where…" That sounded like Michael, and he sounded mad. Just as she was debating whether or not to confront Michael and the stranger, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs behind her. Eve was walking and drying her hair with a towel at the same time. She opened her mouth to say something but Claire got there first, by putting a finger to her own lips. _Quiet. _Eve looked confused but nodded and came to sand by her anyway. Claire cupped a hand behind her ear and mouthed _listen. _Eve inched forward so she could hear better. "Saw… yesterday… Jason… is missing…" Eve's eyes grew wide and Claire nodded. "He's missing," Eve whispered. "Jason's missing."

Claire heard footsteps heading their way and she signalled for Eve to go back upstairs. They just made it inside the bathroom before Michael and the stranger passed the staircase to head for the front door. Eve opened the door and poked her head out, then suddenly pulled it back in and shut the door. "Who is it?" Claire asked. Eve looked freaked. "Oliver." They both stood there in silence; until they heard Michael's footsteps walk past the door. The next sound they heard was the sound of the door to the secret room being opened then closed again. After waiting a bit longer to make sure the coast was clear, they both walked out of the bathroom. Claire looked up the hall towards the secret door, and saw Shane staring at them. It looked like he had just come out of his room and seen them leave the bathroom together. Claire got why that could be strange. Eve noticed him too. "I'll never understand girls," he said, before dodging past them and taking the stairs two at a time.

"Whoa, did you hear that?" Eve asked when Shane was out of earshot. Claire nodded. "So, do we tell Shane, or confront Michael and tell him to explain the full story or," Eve continued, "sit on our lazy backsides and do nothing?" Eve then pretended to consider. "Let's… um… gee; this is a tough one…" She looked at Claire and winked. Claire nodded and they both turned toward the secret door. Time to get the story set straight. "On three, press the button," Eve said. Claire nodded and pulled back the picture frame that hid the button to the secret door. "One… Two…" Eve said. "Three!" they yelled together and Claire pushed the button. They ran in before the door could close and up the staircase. Michael was sitting on the only furniture in the room; a small couch. He looked startled by their sudden entrance. "Can I help you?" he asked them. "Ok, cut the crap, Michael," Eve said. "We know Jason's missing. Like to give us full details?"

He stared at them for a moment before replying. "I was downstairs practicing my guitar when someone knocked on the front door. When I opened it, Oliver was standing there. He came in and told me that Jason was missing." He looked at each girl in turn. Eve was the first one to speak. "How did Oliver know Jason was missing?" she asked. "Apparently, after we let him go, Oliver caught Jason trying to get inside this girl's head. When he realised that he couldn't do it anymore, Jason got angry and tried to kill her. Oliver stopped him just in time and took him to some cells under Common Grounds. When he went to check on Jason this morning, the bars had been bent back and Jason was missing. Did you tell Shane?" Michael added. Both Claire and Eve shook their heads. "Well, don't." "Why not," Claire asked. Michael shook his head. "Just… don't. Okay? Promise?" Claire and Eve looked at each other. Eve shrugged. "Ok, promise." She said to Michael.

The rest of the morning was un-eventful. Shane killed some Zombies on T.V, Michael practiced his guitar, and Eve listened to her iPod. Claire absently flipped through her chemistry and math textbooks. It wasn't till that night when Claire was in bed that things started happening. Claire was slowly falling asleep, listening to Michael playing the guitar, when she heard it. It started off quietly, and then got louder and louder. A scraping noise was coming from outside Claire's window. Claire sat up, her heart pounding in her throat. Slowly she climbed out of bed and walked toward the window. She counted to three then pulled back the curtain. On the other side of the window was Jason, knife in hand and there was a long scrape where he had dragged it across the window.

Claire screamed and let the curtain drop. She ran to the other side of the room and flung open the door. She sprinted down the stairs screaming out to Michael. "Claire," he met her at the bottom of the stairs. "What's wrong?" "You know how Jason's missing?" he nodded. "Well, I just found him, outside my window." Right on cue, a rock smashed through the lounge window only to land right by Michael's guitar. She screamed again. Eve and Shane came clattering down the stairs and stopped beside her. "What's going on?" Eve asked when she saw the rock. "Jason was outside my window, now he's trying to get in." Shane nodded, "So, just the usual."

There was a knock on the door. On impulse Claire said, "I'll get it." She ran to the door before anyone could stop her and opened it, only to be grabbed by the arm and hauled outside. She felt cold, sharp metal push up against her neck and realised it was a knife. Jason pulled her to her feet and turned her around to face the front door. Michael and Shane were there and they started advancing towards Jason. "I wouldn't," he said and pushed the knife harder against Claire's throat. She let out a gasp. Her heartbeat was twice the normal rate per minute. Both Shane and Michael stopped. Michael's eyes began to turn red from the pupils outward. "What do you want, Jason?"

Jason laughed. "Control over Morganville. You already know that." Michael seemed to change tactics and decided to try for some answers. "Who broke you out of the cell? Only a vampire is strong enough to bend the bars." A smirk worked its way across Jason's face. "Meet Roy, an old friend" he said and gestured towards the corner of the house. Everyone looked and big bulky man, who was defiantly a vampire, stepped out from the shadows. If it came down to it, there was no way Michael could take him on in a fight. Roy smiled and showed off pointy, white fangs.

Roy looked at Claire and his eyes were red. No other colour was visible. He started advancing towards her and just as he was about to grab her, a wooden point pushed its way through his flesh. Roy paused in his tracks, looked at the wood producing from his chest and collapsed backwards onto the grass. Behind him stood Richard Morrell, the mayor's son and head of the Police for Morganville. "Hopefully that didn't kill him," he said and looked at Jason. "Get him!" he yelled. Two vampire cops grabbed Jason from behind. Jason dropped the knife and Claire fell to the ground, gasping for breath. Shane ran forward and scooped her up. "You alright?" She nodded. Meanwhile, Jason was being shoved into a vampire cop car. Once he was in, one of the vampires came and began dragging Roy towards the car too. Both vampires lifted him (somehow), dropped him into the boot and shut the door.

Claire stood up and she turned to Richard. "Thanks," was all she could manage to say. "Anytime," he replied and smiled kindly. Richard was defiantly way better than his sister, Monica. "How did you know to come?" Michael asked. "One of the neighbours called in," Richard said "Something about a loud noise and lots of screaming. I knew it could only be Jason, so I grabbed my vampire friends here and we wandered on over to see what was going on." "Just in time then," Shane said. "You saved Claire's bacon." Claire glared at him but deep down she was extremely grateful.

"What happens now?" Michael asked. "Now?" Richard looked at Michael. "Now we take Jason here to jail, under 24 hour watch and we take his buddy to Amelie and get some tips on what we should do to revive him or…not." Michael nodded and they both shook hands. Eve put her arm around Claire's shoulders and guided her back to the house. Michael and Shane followed and Michael shut, locked and bolted the door. They stood in silence while the sound of the Police sirens faded into the night. "Everyone upstairs," Michael said. "It's way past bedtime. We'll deal with the broken window in the morning" They all walked upstairs. Eve took Claire to her room and, once she was certain Claire was going to be ok, left to go to hers.

Claire was slowly drifting off when she heard a soft knock at the door. Shane poked his head in. "Mind if I join?" he asked. Claire shook her head and shimmed over so he would have some room. He climbed into the bed and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. She snuggled in and breathed in his scent, letting it fill every inch of her body, mind and soul. She reached up her neck and Shane leaned down. Their lips connected and Claire felt safe. She pulled him as close as possible and kissed him harder, more franticly. He curled his fingers through her hair and responded. After a while he pulled back. "No, Claire," he whispered. "Not tonight. You need some rest." Very much against her will, she pulled back and cuddled into him. "Stay with me tonight?" she asked. "Always," he whispered back and held her tight. Claire began drifting off and found comfort in the fact that Shane was right beside her, holding her, protecting her from anything that might harm her. And as she drifted off, she smiled.


End file.
